2D background shot references

I researched several images of Japanese parks for the mood board in order to gain a better understanding of how the panning shot would be laid out.

2D playground scene final

Final version with cleanup, colouring and sound effects.

2D Playground scene animatic

As the animatic shows, the scene may be confusing on the first watch, and may require multiple viewings in order to notice all the details. I don't consider this to be a negative thing for this scene, as it is very easy to repeat over and over again due to its length. I also used different colours to tell apart the different characters.

2D Playground scene character sheet and storyboard thumbails

I started making a character sheet to lay out what kind of characters I could fit into an 8-10 second scene. I decided to go with simple caricatures i.e. nerd, bully, teacher, etc. While considering how the scene would play out I decided to make the whole scene a single still shot. This was inspired by the style of Birdbox studio films. While taking this into consideration, I decided to make the character design simplistic akin to stick figures. The style I ended up going with was a character style inspired by Cyanide and Happiness comics and animations, as it also matched the dark comedy tone I was going for.

When planning the story, I wanted to make sure as many characters would interact in some way with each other or the environment, though a few exceptions could be made to make the scene less confusing. This idea also goes well with a single still shot in order to keep all the action as contained as possible.

2D skip cycle [CHINESE NEW YEAR EDITION]

2D quadruped walk cycle

2D walk cycle front [GODZILLA EDITION]